FORGOTTEN BOOK: 13 FRENCH SCIENCE FICTION STORIES

 Thirteen French Science Ficrion Stories, edited and translated by Damon Knight  (1965)

Taken mainly from Fiction, the French edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and science Fiction, these thirteen stories offer "a galaxy of Gallic fantasy."  Slowly, over the magazine's existence, Fiction began to publish original stories by French authors in addition to using reprints from F&SF.  Many of the better stories are included here.  All stories were transleted by Knight, who admittedly had to "painfully" polish up his French in the process.  

The contents:  

• Claude F. Cheinisse (Claude-Francois Cheinisse), "Juliette." (First English publication in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1961; original French publication in Fiction, #62, January 1959)  A man falls in love with a machine which makes arrangements for her replacement, a newer model.
• "Charles Henneberg" (Nathalie Henneberg), "The Blind Pilot." (First English publication in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1960; original French publication as "Au pilote aveugle" in Fiction, #68, July 1959)  A blind man keeps a siren from Alpha Hydrae in a chest.
• Henri Damonti, "Olivia."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication in Fiction, #81, August 1960)   A man falls in love with a married woman; he tries to kill her husband but is killed instead; then he wakes up in the murderer's body.
• Henri Damonti, "The Notary and the Conspiracy."  (First English publication in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1962; original French publication as "Le notaire et la conspiration" in Fiction, #106, September 1962)  Answering an advertisement for "unusual diversion," a notary finds himself in the past.
• Alain Doremieux, "The Vana."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "La Vana" in La premiere anthologie de la science-fiction francaise, edited by Alain Doremieux, 1959)  Overpopulation has made it illegal for males to live with a woman before the age 30; sexual needs can be gratified at the House of Women, however.  Slovic, age 25, decides to b uy an alien pet, a completely humanoid, utterly unintelligent female.  Editor Knight notes that this story "was rejected with cries of outrage by a well-known American men's magazine."
• Suzanne Malaval, "The Devil's Goddaughter."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "La filleule du diable" in  Fiction, #79, June 1960)  The devil falls in love with his beautiful goddaughter; she outsmarts him, winning the keys to Hell and a winged horse in this folktale.
• "Charles Henneberg" (Nathalie Charles-Henneberg and Charles Henneberg), "Moon-Fishers"  (First English publication in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1962; original French publication as "Pecheurs de lune" in La premiere anthologie de la science-fiction francais, edited by Alain doremieuz, 1959)  The first pra-time traveler goes to ancient Thebes, where he encounter a long-lived. blue Atlantean, one of a race who created "empty" bodies for time travelers to advance civilization.
• "Charles Henneberg" (Nathalie Henneberg), "The Non-humans."  (First English publication in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1960; original French publication as "Les non-humains" in Fiction, #56, July 1958)  Florence, 1490, master artist Perugino takes on a young student at the same time a beautiful alien is cast away on Earth.
• Piere Mille, "After Three Hundred Years."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "Dans trois cents ans" in an unnamed magazine, copyrighted 1922 by Les Oevres Libres)
• Gerard Klien, "The Monster."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "Le monstre" in Fiction, #59, October 1958)  A creature from another planet lands in the park; when it finally speaks, it is with Bernard's voice.
• Claude Veillot, "A Little More Caviar?"   (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "Encore un peu du caviar" in Fiction Special No.4:  Anthologie de science-friction francais, editor uncredited, 1963)  Piotr Hovcar is the only survivor of forty people who traveled to the planet Bis-bis.  But was it Hovcar?
• Catherine Cliff, "The Chain of Love."  (First English publication in this anthology; original French publication as "La chaine et le collier" in Fiction, #19, June 1955)  A lonely woman meets an alien who loves animals.
• Boris Vian, "The Dead Fish."  (First English publication in this anthology; origial French publication as "Les poissons morts" in L'Arbalete, #12, Spring 1947)  Forged railwat tickets, a strange way of fishing, and body morphing...

An interesting and varied collection, one that might pass for a volume of Orbit, the long-running original anthology series that Knight edited from 1966 to 1980.

Knight (1922-2002) was an outstanding science fiction writer (known perhaps more for his short stories than his novels), an influential editor, and a perceptive and demanding critic.  He was the founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, the Milford Writer's Workshop, and the Clarion Writer's Workshop.  He was named a Grand Master by the SFWA in 1994 and has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.  He will forever be known as the author of "To Serve Man," the short story on which the classic Twilight Zone episode was based.